Thanks to COVID-19 hand sanitiser has become one of the hottest commodities on the Coast.
The hand wash shelves are almost as barren as the toilet paper aisles and the strain on the world’s supply chains for sanitary items and medical goods is so bad that the NSW Government has begun asking businesses with the capacity to do so to start producing these goods to fill in the gaps.
Both NSW Labor and the Coast’s own Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, have relayed the message to local businesses that there is opportunity for those that can step up to the plate.
It’s good news for the ailing local economy and local jobseekers alike, with some savvy businesses like West Gosford distillery, Onyx Coffee Spirits, already ahead of the pack.
Known for their range of coffee cocktails, Onyx Founders, Mitch and Matt Faulkner, caught onto the need to switch up their operation as soon as the first wave of virus containment restrictions on businesses came into effect.
According to Mitch, their team has been working around the clock since early March to convert their distillery and obtain the necessary approvals to start producing World Health Organisation grade hand sanitiser.Their 1 litre pump bottles have been available for pre-order for almost as long, with orders rolling in daily.
Essential services have also indicated that they’re keen to buy local, with Onyx putting out special 20 litre bulk orders for big business and frontline operators.
From nursing homes to freight companies and petrol station chains, the demand has been huge, with Onyx planning to ship their first orders from mid April.
After that, Mitch said they’ll be focusing on getting their product out exclusively to the people of the Central Coast.
The government’s call to arms has also proven to be a win for Onyx, with the directive cutting a lot of red tape that was previously slowing them down.
“There were a lot of hoops to jump through around licencing and production requirements, but we’ve meet all of those now and it’s certainly been an interesting evolution for our business,” Mitch added.
Source:
Interview, Apr 2
Mitch Faulkner, Onyx Coffee Spirits
Reporter: Dilon Luke